Why Scream, It's Over
by Baby You're My Immortal
Summary: Ronnie Radke and Monica Kinney were best friends until the unthinkable happened. How can it work when both have two very different paths in life? **COMPLETE**
1. Chapter 1

Why Scream, It's Over

**Okay, this is the first Ronnie Radke Fanfiction I have ever written, so I apologise if it's not really up to scratch. It's going to include old escape the fate for the sole reason that I know more about those guys than I do Falling In Reverse. I completely hate the whole argument thing as I love both bands, so I'd appreciate it if you kept all of your hate comments for either band away from this. Thanks for reading this and I'll let the story commence now.**

Chapter One

"Ronnie, you fucking dare" I squealed, curling up in a ball, so he wouldn't be able to act on his threats. "These jeans are new."

"I know" He stated, grinning from ear to ear. "That's why I'm going to wash them for you."

"Chlorine will ruin the damn things" I shouted as he threw my writhing body over his shoulder. "Come on, don't be a bastard."

"No matter what you say, I'm still going to do it" He laughed, stopping when he reached the edge of the pool. "I'm really going to enjoy this." He jumped. Taking a deep breath, I was submerged by the water with Ronnie's arms locked tightly around me. He helped me get back to the surface and led me to the side, so I could catch my breath.

"Ronnie, you are a dick" I shouted, slapping the water, so it splashed him in the face. "I'm devoting the tattoo I have on my back to you." On my back, I have some pretty brutal lyrics in black elaborate ink. I had the words: 'Oh, the bullets gone. I take this spade, I slit your throat. You fall into your grave, I cover up my tracks. I'm done, I won't kill again. I said that's it, I'm done.'

"I know how much you love that tattoo, so I'll take it as a compliment" Ronnie sighed, pushing himself out of the pool and sitting on the edge. I followed him and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter.

"Do you want a smoke?" I asked, holding out the box. He took one as I flicked the lighter and lit my own before lighting his. Ah, relief. Cigarettes were my escape from everything. I felt the same about alcohol.

"Do you want to go to the beach?" Ronnie asked after taking a long drag from his cigarette and blowing the smoke away from my face. "Might be fun and we can use your fake ID to get some beer for tonight."

"Sounds like a plan, but what am I supposed to do about clothes?" I asked, gesturing to my soaking wet clothes.

"I've got some of your old clothes that you left here when you spent the night" He answered, stubbing his cigarette out and leading me into his house and up to his room. When he brought my clothes out, I was pretty shocked. It was a pair of shorts and a tee that read 'may contain scenes of a sexual nature.' Well, it does sound like something I would wear. I took my clothes from him and headed to his bathroom to get changed.

Within ten minutes, we were driving down to the beach listening to a heavy metal band and smoking another cigarette. It was a hot day, so the windows were rolled down to get the smell of smoke out of the car. I can't stand the smell of smoke, but it's just a habit now.

A few moments later, Ronnie stopped the car and got out. I followed him out and took a deep breath of sand, sweat and ocean. This is everything that I love about Nevada. Well, I love the clubs and bars, but the ocean is something that I just can't live without. He took my hand in his and led me down to the sea as I disposed of our cigarettes in the sand. We found a secluded spot in one of the caves where we could get changed in out swimwear, so we could swim in the sea. I pulled my brown hair into a loose bun and tightened the balls on my hip piercings before taking the first steps into the ocean.

"Fuck, it's cold" Ronnie mumbled, walking behind me, his hands resting lightly on my hips. Well, that's Ronnie. He doesn't share the same passion as I do for the sea, but he tries. You can't blame a guy for trying. We were at the point where the waves started to break. This was my favourite part. I pulled Ronnie closer to me making sure that the wave was going to take him out too.

"Get ready, Ronnie" I laughed just before one slammed into me, sending me hurtling back to the shore with Ronnie's arms wrapped tightly around my waist.

"Hey, I've got something to show you, Monica" A voice shouted just as I stood up. When I turned around, I spotted a guy with black hair covering his eyes with an alkaline trio shirt on. It was Max Green. He was practically my sidekick in every bit of trouble I've ever gotten into in school. If I started the food fight, he's there to blame it on the kid who sits in the corner of the lunch room by himself.

"What do you want?" I asked as I walked over to where he stood by the clump of clothes that belonged to me and Ronnie. He simply held out his arms, pride washing over his face as I stared at his wrist at the elaborate black ink. Squinting, I managed to read 'Why Scream It's Over.'

"Aha, so you actually got the matching tattoo" I laughed as I stuck my arm out next to his, so I could look at them both together. It was the first tattoo I had ever gotten and I had been waving it in front of Max's face because he was jealous of the fact that I had one and he didn't. Every day I used to say the words to him to annoy him. It held some significance to our friendship. Ronnie looked on at us as though we were going insane.

"You two are so weird" He commented. "One minute you guys hate each other and then you guys have matching tattoos." He shook his head at us, a smile playing at his lips as he wrapped his arm around me. "Are we getting the beer now?"

"You have no patience" I chastised as I rummaged around the pockets of my shorts to find my wallet which held the fake ID. "Hey, Max, are you coming to the gathering at Ronnie's house?"

"If there's some alcohol and music then yes I am" He answered. I nodded as I pulled my shirt back on. It was a shame that this trip to the beach was a short lived one. Well, I would have to drag Ronnie back here another day when the weather was this good again.

"There will be, but not too much" I warned as I held up my finger to stop their alcohol rant. "I have an exam tomorrow and I intend to do well in it." Max scoffed at me as he followed me to an off license just down the road.

"Why did you have to befriend the good girl, Ronnie?" Max asked as he shook his head at me. "It's just sad to watch her waste her life on education." You see, Max is probably worse than I am even though it's me who always starts all the trouble. He's the quiet bad kid.

"Hey, when I'm a rich business woman, you'll realise that my choices were good ones" I defended, but only to receive a disbelieving stare.

"When we're rich guys in bands, you'll realise that our choices to get drunk and listen to music were the right ones" Max joked as he strode over to a six pack of beer and took it over to the counter.

"Have you got any ID?" The man behind the desk asked as he looked at us all with a sceptical glare. His tattooed hand outstretched towards me to take a look at the card I held out in front of him. With one quick glance at the picture and birth year, he handed the beer. "Thanks for shopping with us." Without so much as a 'thank you,' I turned on my heel and followed Ronnie and Max straight back out.

"So, what exam do you have tomorrow?" Max asked as he took the beer from me. He was always the gentleman too. He'd take your coat when you came into the house, he'd offer you a drink and he respects your privacy.

"A business studies one. It's pretty important, though." I sighed. "I really want to pass this."

"What's gotten you so wrapped up in all of this?" Ronnie asked. Sometimes it was hard to make them understand. They were always so against education and had their heads set on music, but I wanted other things. I wanted to go down a path that was totally different to them.

"It's my life, Ronnie" I laughed. "If I don't pass this exam, I'm not going to get to do what I want." I wanted to be part of a business. I wanted to work my way to the top and build a name for myself.

"If you don't pass, you can just be our merch girl" Ronnie assured. Goodness, the idea sounded daunting. There was no way I could be a merch girl. I'd go insane, but it could maybe work in my favour. If I was a merch girl, I could get into the designing part of it and it would kind of be like owning my own business.

"Thanks, Ronnie, but I think I'll just pass." I said as we made it back to the car with Max in the back this time. The windows were rolled down and another cigarette was in my mouth. "I think I'm going to quit smoking." Ronnie gave me a sideways glance as he laughed.

"You couldn't do it" He laughed. "You're way too addicted now."

"Oh, yeah?" I questioned, taking the cigarette from my mouth and throwing it out of the car window. "From here on out, I am not going to smoke another cigarette." Ronnie gave me a knowing look. This hadn't been the first time I had tried to quit and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"Just wait for a few more hours" He sighed, turning the corner to get onto his street. "You'll be begging for one by the end of the night."

"Jeez, it's nice to know how much faith you have in me." I scoffed. "No, I can do this if I truly want to." He parked the car and pointed at me to get out. We began to walk up his lawn when the front door opened and his dad came out with a dog on a leash.

"Hey, Monica" He greeted. "Ah, Max, it's been a while." Ronnie's dad came over to me and smiled. "How's your mom."

"Ah, she's doing good" I answered. "She's just had the baby."

"Your mom was pregnant?" He asked. "Boy or a girl?"

"Yeah, it was a boy" I answered. "Ronnie's convinced that he'll turn out like him."

"Well, I hope he doesn't" he joked just as Max began to walk over to the door, desperately trying to ignore the clanking of the cans. Oh, it was impossible for him to be discrete. "You don't need to hide the fact that you're going to be drinking. You're practically adults now. Anyways, I'm taking the dog for a walk, so I'll see you soon."

"Bye, dad" Ronnie called as he unlocked the door and led us inside. "Finally, we can start this. Who's ordering the pizza?" _Well, this is going to be fun._

**So, first chapter. What did you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

Why Scream It's Over

**Well, it doesn't look as though I'm too good with geography XD Okay, just imagine that there's an ocean ;) Damn me for being a Brit girl. Well, I hope everyone enjoys even though my knowledge on Nevada is appallingly bad.**

Chapter Two

As soon as we got back into the house, Ronnie had opened the alcohol and was handing me a can and picking up the phone to get the pizza in. You see, we weren't like all of the other teenagers that were our age. The others prefer the parties and the nightlife whereas we prefer to have a few drinks in the house, order a pizza and watch movies. Well, I doubt that Ronnie is completely happy with just doing that, but he does it because I do. We're two very different people, but we sacrifice things for each other like good friends should do.

"Right, what time is it?" Ronnie asked as he looked at his watch. "If it's not here in half an hour we get it for free."

"Are you that cheap?" I asked as I gave a chuckle.He raised his eyebrows at me, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I am" He agreed. "Hey, when I'm rich because I knew about all these tricks, you'll be sorry."

"You're not going to end up rich because you got a free pizza" Max laughed. Oh, I was in for quite the night.

…

So, the pizza wasn't late which put Ronnie in a bit of a bad mood, but I was almost certain that the alcohol would make him happier. The three of us were sitting on the floor in his room, craning our necks, so we could watch the movie he had put on that was about some exorcism. It wasn't that good, but Ronnie liked it, so it was on. That was just one of our many differences. As cheesy as it may sound, I like romance movies and he likes gory horrors. He's creative and I'm logical. He drinks too much and I only like to have a few. It's a wonder why we work so well together when we're complete opposites, but I'm not complaining. I do have the slightest crush on him, but I believed that it would dwindle away in a couple of months and then we could get back to normal with everything.

"Hey, Mon?" Ronnie questioned. "I know that you want to start your own business and everything, but why don't you come on tour with us and sell merch?" I admired the fact that he was so sure that his band would work out, but it always aggravated me when he said this. He just didn't seem to realise that he had the path that he was going to follow and I had mine.

"Ronnie, we've been through this" I groaned. "I want to make a name for myself. I don't just want to be Escape The Fate's merch girl."

"Why, though?" He asked. "You'd look hot all sweaty and shit, behind the table and selling our shirts." My cheeks burned red even though this was just a part of Ronnie's personality. He had said something like this several times in his life and this wasn't going to be the last time he said it.

"Ronnie, don't you think that's a little inappropriate?" I asked as I took a bite out of my pizza, trying my hardest to ignore the stares I was getting off Max.

"No, it's not inappropriate" Ronnie laughed, leaning in a pecking my cheek lightly. Again, this was another thing that Ronnie had done to me several times in my life, yet it still made me blush. "Hey, why are you getting red?"

"Ugh, I'm going to bed" I grumbled. "I've got that exam tomorrow and I want to do well, so I don't have to be your merch girl. Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight, Monica" Max called, but Ronnie stayed in silence. Maybe my comment about being his merch girl had offended him or maybe my reaction to his kiss had surprised him.

…

The next morning, I found myself in Ronnie's bed, his arm draped over me. I could smell the alcohol in his breath. Just as I was about to turn over and go back to sleep, I remembered the exam that I had to take today. I woke Ronnie up when I shot out of bed and almost tripped over Max who was laying on the floor passed out from what they had gotten up to last night.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ronnie asked as I ran to where my clothes were that I had worn yesterday as they had now dried. "Monica, what's gotten into you? Jesus, we were only in the same bed" Oh, he thinks that that is what is getting me so worked up. He really is so self-absorbed sometimes.

"Ronnie, I don't care if we were in the same bed" I shrugged. "I sleep in your bed every time I spend the night at yours. I have that exam in half an hour and I don't want to be late for it. Could you drive me?"

"Sure, just get dressed and I'll take you straight down." He answered. "Are you coming back into school after it's done?"

"Yeah, I've got business studies last. If I didn't have that, I probably wouldn't bother going back in" I answered. Yes, I'm pretty obsessed with my business studies lessons.

"Jesus, you could have just said that you were coming back in so you could see me" Max laughed, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he sat up in his makeshift bed.

…

By the time we had all gotten dressed, it was only ten minutes till my exam started and we had to hurry into the car and break a few speed limits to get there, but what does that even matter when my future was on the line. Ronnie parked up with three minutes to spare.

"Good luck, Mon" He sighed. Max, sitting in the back of the car, leaned forward and patted me gently on the back.

"I hope you do well in this exam even if it does mean that we will probably have to go our separate ways in the future if you pass." Max comforted. He wasn't the best with words, but he still made me feel better.

"Thanks, Max" I sighed. "I'll see you guys in a couple of hours. Bye, guys." They said nothing as I pushed my car door open and followed the cluster of people who were sitting the same exam as me. We walked into the brightly lit hall and looked at each seat to find where ours was. Mine was at the back of the room, right next to a window. At least when I finished I would have a good view to look at.

The papers were soon placed in front of us and we were told to pick up our pens and begin the paper. As soon as I turned to the first page, my heart began to race. This was my future on the line. The first question was easy. It was just on ownership styles and I could answer each question. The others were easy too. They were just about motivation and the last section of the test was supposed to be the hardest, but they just give us questions on finances. It was the easiest exam I had ever taken.

…

Once the time was up, I hurried from my seat and out the door, desperate to get back to school, so I could share my glory with Max, Ronnie, Monte and Robert. Monte had been the only one who had really understood how much that thing had meant to me and he had been so anxious for me to do well. Oh, I could not wait to tell him about it.

When I was about halfway to the school, a black Mercedes pulled up beside me. I had expected it to be Ronnie who was driving as he would have been looking for an excuse to ditch class, but it was Monte. His blonde hair was swept into his eyes only slightly that flashed a bright green and his smile that he aimed at me was kind.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, clambering into the car and smiling back at him. "You should be in classes, Mr Money. Isn't your Mom going to kill you if you keep skipping?"

"Nah, I ditched, so I could pick you up and who cares if she kills me? Hey, she doesn't even need to know about it if we manage to get back to school on time." He retorted. "I had to hear about how your exam went. It's the only thing you've been talking about for the past month." Everything he was saying was true. This exam had been my main focus in life for a while now. "So, how did it go?"

"Absolutely brilliant" I cheered as he began to drive back to the school. "The questions were ridiculously easy!" He grinned as he drove.

"Well done, Monica" Monte sighed. "It looks like you'll be leaving us before you know it" The enjoyment of probably passing this exam passed as I realised what I would be leaving here.

"Come on, don't be like this" I mumbled. "We'll still see each other. I might not even pass and then I'll end up being your merch girl." He soon pulled up into the parking lot and followed me back into the main building.

"You don't fool me, Monica" He laughed. "You would rather be working in a coffee shop rather than being a merch girl and that's fine. Ronnie just isn't ready to let go of you just yet. He loves you, you know." My cheeks burned again just like last night when Ronnie kissed my cheek. Why did this keep happening!

"What do you mean he loves me?" I asked, hoping to God that he didn't mean what it was sounding like. I may have a crush on Ronnie, but we're not compatible in that way at all.

"You guys are best friends" He shrugged as we walked through the hallways to get to the lunch room that was decked out in trophies that students had won and a few posters about upcoming events that Ronnie had been pestering me to go to even though I was practically a social hermit. "He's always going to love you until the day he dies." A part of me wanted him to love me more than a friend, but it didn't matter if he did or didn't because there was no way we could date.

The hum of the chatter in the cafeteria was deafening to me. The place was crowded, but I easily spot Ronnie, Robert and Max at the table in the far corner. They sat with their iPod's out, reading a magazine with an article in about a new rock band that Max had been banging on about for the past two weeks. When Ronnie saw me approach, he stepped away from his seat and gave a small nod, already realising that I had done well. Something told me that it was the huge smile marking my face that told him. After all, it was pretty hard to miss.

"Did you do well?" He asked.

"Yeah, I killed it" I laughed as he pulled me into his arms.

"Good for you" He whispered in my ear. "I'm proud of you, Mon." His hands gripped tightly on the small of my back as I sighed into his shirt. I really didn't want to leave this guy.

**Okay, so the next chapter will take place practically straight after this one and it's when you'll get to see Max and Monica act up a little in class ;') I hope everyone liked this chapter. Thanks for the reviews and please keep them coming XD**


	3. Chapter 3

Why Scream, It's Over

**Thanks so much to anyone who has reviewed and I apologise for making people wait so long for this chapter. It'll take place practically straight after the previous one. I hope everyone enjoys.**

**Lyrics: Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth, so everyone can hear**

Chapter Three

I wanted to just pretend as though Ronnie wasn't sitting in absolute silence because of the fact that I had practically just told him that I wasn't going to know him very well in the years to come, but I couldn't bring myself to do so. He was currently sitting at the lunch table with his head buried in a magazine in an effort to block eye contact with me. It hurt, but I knew that he would feel like this for a while.

"Hey, Ronnie, I haven't smoked today" I informed, smiling at my victory. I had tried to quit multiple times, but never lasted longer than an hour. This was a miracle for me.

He didn't even look up when he spoke to me. He simply muttered, "Good for you, Monica." He never usually called me by my full name either. It was always 'Mon.' Well, it looked as though this victory in my exam had really shaken him up. It was my own fault for thinking anything less than this would happen.

"Jeez, dude, what's up with you?" Robert questioned. "You could at least pretend to be happy for Monica. You know how excited she was for this opportunity."

"Dude, I am happy for her" He defended. "I'm just not in the mood to fuss over her like you guys for one exam. There's plenty obstacles for her to face later that she might not get over." It hurt. He was so willing to stop my victory lasting for very long, so he could make himself feel better.

Before I even had a chance to argue back with him, the bell sounded and the room was set in motion as people made their way to class. Damn, I had English, but at least it was a lesson where I could cause trouble with Max.

"Ready to go give Mrs Fenwick a heart attack?" Max asked as we walked with Ronnie trailing behind us. "She hates us so much."

"To be fair, we haven't given her a reason to like us" I laughed, turning the corner that led to the English classroom. "What's the plan for today?"

"I was thinking tripping her up, breaking her chair and then you arguing with her" He explained.

"Nah, I can't be bothered with breaking anything today" I retorted. "I'll argue with her, though."

"Don't you think you should at least try and learn something?" Ronnie questioned. Max whirled on him, disbelief in his eyes.

"Who are you and what have you done with Ronnie?" He joked, walking into the classroom with me in tow.

"Shut up, man" Ronnie grumbled. "I just think you're constant bad behaviour with that teacher can get a little annoying."

"Jeez, Ronnie, you don't have to be in such a foul mood all day just because I think I done well in that exam" I snapped, taking my seat. It probably wasn't needed, but I just couldn't help myself. The comment he made about the obstacles that could stop my journey in becoming successful had aggravated me and I felt as though he needed to know that. He was taking the news like a five year old and I didn't want to listen to him whine about it for the entirety of my senior year.

"Oh, you've done it now, Radke" Monte sighed as he took the seat next to me. "What did you do to her this time?" The plump teacher soon walked into the room and shushed the class in order to start teaching.

"He's in a horrible mood" I said to Monte, ignoring the piercing stares from Mrs Fenwick. "He'll snap out of it soon, though."

"Monica, did you not hear me?" She questioned. "I want to teach if you don't mind"

"Actually I do mind" I grumbled, enjoying the sniggers from Max. Mrs Fenwick stood at the front of the room, her arms crossed over her chest in a sign of anger.

"Well, if you mind so much then I suggest that you go stand outside" She retorted. Ah, the common threat that a teacher gives that nobody really cares about.

"No, I'm okay here" I sighed.

"Why do you always have to be such an insolent little child?" She mumbled. "You are the greatest misfortune I have ever had to teach."

"She's no insolent and she's definitely not a child" Max supported to receive a glare from Mrs Fenwick. "From where I'm sitting, she has all the right curves in all the right places."

"Max Green, I do not want to hear about your affections for Monica" She shouted. Oh gosh, I could see exactly how this was going to play out and it would end with me and Max in the hallway.

"I don't have affections for Monica" He argued. "Well, not the ones you're thinking of. You know, as a teacher, you shouldn't really be assuming these things about your students. It's very disrespectful."

"Max, no it's not disrespectful" She sighed. "What's disrespectful is the way you treat other people." Max's mouth fell open at this.

"What the hell are you even talking about?" Max questioned, his voice raising. "I've never treated anyone with disrespect apart from maybe you."

"But that's only because you are presumptuous, closed-minded and an incredibly bad teacher." I finished, trying to ignore the glares I was gaining from Ronnie, so I could revel in the shocked and slightly sad look on Mrs Fenwick's face.

"Monica, are you ever going to leave that woman alone?" Ronnie whispered from the other side of me. "She just wants to teach us."

"Ronnie, don't try and tell me what's right and what's wrong." I snapped. "The way you just treated me about the exam was wrong. This is simply stating facts."

"If you feel that way, Monica, you know where the door is" Mrs Fenwick sighed. "You too, Max. I've had it with trying to cater your needs. When you learn some basic manners, you'll be welcomed back in here with open arms." I stepped away from my desk, slinging my bag over my shoulder and following Max out of the door. This was the first time she had acted like this with us. It made me a little confused.

"So, what do we do?" Max asked after the door had been closed and we were left in the hallway. "I'd expected her to just shout a lot and threaten us. I didn't think she'd kick us out of her lesson."

"Who really cares?" I questioned. "We don't need to learn about Jane Eyre and whatever other shitty books she makes us read. We don't need that lesson at all. Let's just go and not come back to it."

"Ronnie will be even angrier with you" Max warned as he followed me down the corridor. "He didn't like the fact that you kept acting up."

"Well, I don't care if he doesn't like it" I sighed. "It's fine to do it when he wants to join in, but as soon as things don't start to go his way, it isn't. Max, when I'm not here, do you promise to look after him?"

"Hey, don't talk like that" Max scolded. "Don't bite my head off like you did with Ronnie because I have to say this. You can't be sure yet that your whole life is going to plan out the way you want it. Have your dreams and goals, but don't talk like that."

"Whatever, Max" I grumbled, hitching my bag up and striding down the corridor. "Maybe you shouldn't have gotten the matching tattoo."

…

Back at home, regret was washing over me. I shouldn't have said all of those things to Max. I shouldn't have asked Max to promise me that he would look after Ronnie and I sure as hell shouldn't have said that he shouldn't have gotten the tattoo. That was simply uncalled for.

"Monica, can you get your brother?" My mom questioned as the cries greeted my ear. Don't get me wrong, I loved my brother and my mom to pieces, but sometimes I feel as though I'm Jeremy's mom sometimes.

"Sure, mom" I called, making my way over to his room. "Hey, Jer" I cuddled him closer to me and rocked him back and forth before winding up the mobile to sing him a lullaby. "You need to get some sleep, Jer. You're only a few weeks old. Goodnight, Jeremy" I sighed as I lowered him back into his crib once the crying had stopped.

"You're a good kid, Monica" My mom sighed from behind me. "And I know that you don't want to be here for very long and that's fine. Ronnie's here to see you, by the way." My jaw dropped at this point.

"Ronnie's here?" I asked in disbelief. "Why didn't you just tell him that I wasn't in? It couldn't have been that hard to send him away."

"Look, I know that Ronnie must have done something to upset you, but you need to learn to just forgive him when he screws things up. I'm sure that whatever he done wasn't that bad."

"Jeez, Mom, way to have faith in your own daughter." I grumbled, following her out of Jeremy's bedroom, flicking the switch as I left.

"So, I'm guessing that you're still in a bad mood" Ronnie laughed just as I was about to follow my mom down the stairs. Oh great, he had already made it into my bedroom. Something told me that it was going to be very difficult to get him to leave this time. "Don't give me that look. We need to talk."

"I have nothing to say to you" I sighed as I closed my bedroom door. "You made it very clear that you didn't want me to do well in life and I suppose that's fine. After all, you can't stand the thought of people being more successful than you."

"Oh my God, do you really think that that's what's made me angry and upset?" Ronnie asked as I nodded. "You're an idiot then."

"Okay, Ronnie, there's no need to get all angry and call people names" I snapped. "God, I need a cigarette."

"No, you don't need one." He sighed. "I'm not going to be the one responsible for your smoking habit." For a moment, it almost sounded as though he cared. It could have easily been me wishing that it was that, though. "If you must know, I was upset because I knew that that exam was just one more stepping stone to you getting the life that you've always dreamed of. The life you've always dreamed of is a one where I don't seem to fit in. It kills me to know that my best friend will either have to choose between her dream life without me or a life she hates with me. It just all got a little too much for me." I forgave him then. His reasons made sense and I felt the same way.

"Ronnie, why don't we just cross that bridge when we come to it?" I asked. He shrugged, almost looking as though he didn't fully forgive me.

"Whatever, Mon" He sighed. At least he was back to using his nickname for me. "Oh, I thought you might want to know that Max is pretty pissed at you for whatever you said to him in the hallway."

"Oh, man, I've got myself into a mess"

**Well, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and please drop a review on your way out. Oh, and I promise that I'll try and update quicker next time, so I don't feel guilty.**


	4. Chapter 4

Why Scream, It's Over

**Okay, this story is going to be pretty short. Maybe a little over ten chapters. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and please review!**

**Lyrics: Torn between the lover and the love you leave behind**

Chapter Four

It seemed as though it was going to be a tough day today. Max was refusing to talk to me and Ronnie was bemused by the situation. Is it only this hard for me to stop pissing my friends off?

"Max, would you cut it out?" I snapped when he ignored me for the billionth time. "I didn't mean what I said." He simply turned further in his seat and looked out of the window.

"Dude, what's his problem?" Robert asked as he took his seat.

"He's pissed at me because I said a pretty bitter thing to him yesterday, but I didn't mean it" I explained.

"You obviously did mean it otherwise you wouldn't have said it" Max shouted as he turned to face me for the first time this morning with hard anger in his eyes.

"Wow, he speaks" Ronnie laughed. "Lay off her, man. She was just angry yesterday." Max soon whirled on Ronnie with a hard glare.

"It wasn't that when you were annoyed with her" He reminded. Just then Mrs Fenwick stepped in and glared at Max before her eyes fell on me.

"If I remember rightly, you two aren't allowed in my classroom anymore" She sneered. "Go sit out in the hallway." Ah, man, I was hoping she had forgotten about that. Now I was faced with an hour of having to try and make conversation with Max without him biting my head off.

"You were being serious about that?" Max asked before mumbling incoherent things about her being a bitch. He snatched his bag up and stormed out with me following suit. He led me over to one of the benches outside the class and sat with me.

"I'm really sorry for saying what I did" I whispered. "It's just that the thought of me leaving you guys scares me too." For a moment, Max still looked mad at me, but his gaze soon softened and he pulled me into a half armed hug.

"Hey, there'll come a time when we'll all separate" He reminded. "Yeah, it'll be a tough thing to deal with, but we'll get over it. We'll always keep in touch with each other, Monica"

"Aw, you love me again" I laughed as I wrapped my arms around him.

"Who said I stopped?" He questioned with that sloppy grin that never failed to make me laugh.

…

As soon as the lesson was over, Ronnie hurried to come over to us. He took my hand like he normally did and led me to the lunch room.

"Hey, Mon, I have to talk to you" He whispered in my ear. It was unlike Ronnie, but it didn't surprise me.

"Sure, what do you need?" I asked once we were sitting down with the other guys. He soon turned humble and squirmed in his seat. Okay, that was very unlike Ronnie. Whatever happened to that loud and boisterous boy that got irritating after a while?

"Ah, I need to talk to you in private" He mumbled as the eyes of the others fell on him and a few sniggers met my ears.

"What's up with you, Ronnie?" Monte asked. "Getting a little tongue-tied?"

"Shut up, dude" Ronnie growled. Did they know something I didn't? It was times like this when I got paranoid and felt as though someone had pinned a sign to my back. It took all of my strength to not grope around my back to check.

"Hey, you can come to mine after school if you really need to say it privately." I laughed. "God, you guys are weird sometimes. Hey, I don't have anything on my back do I?"

"No, you're good" Ronnie laughed.

…

Ronnie's words stuck with me for that day. Every single lesson I was in, I was thinking about what it was that he could possibly have to say to me that the others couldn't listen to. All I could think about was how agitated it had gotten him. Well, I could also think about my craving for cigarettes, but I was determined to stay away from them.

By the end of the day, Ronnie met me outside of my class. "Are you ready to tell me yet?" I asked. He simply shook his head and grinned at me.

"No, you'll run away" He chuckled. Although it was said in a light-hearted tone, it still worried me slightly. What the hell was he going to tell me that would make me run away? Oh, god, he was probably going to kill me or something like they do in all of those horror movies.

"Ronnie, if you don't tell me now, I'll turn right around and I won't speak to you again" I demanded as I pulled hard on my arm, so he would stop dragging me in the direction of my house.

"Are you honestly that stupid?" He questioned as he took a few steps closer to me. "I know that you'd talk to me again. If you run away, I won't tell you what I had to tell you and you can't last if you don't something. You're just that ignorant."

"Hey, shut up, man" I snapped. "I'm nothing like that. Tell me now, Ronnie"

"Mon, would you just let me do this my way?" He asked. With on firm shake of my head, he sighed in frustration. "Okay, I didn't want to have to do this, but you know that I'm stronger than you." Before I had a chance to ask what he was doing or what he meant, he wrapped his arms around my waist and continued to drag my away.

"Ronnie, get the fuck off" I shouted, slapping the tops of his arms as I squirmed to get out of them. "This is like kidnap."

"I thought you'd know that I really don't care" He laughed as we turned the corner onto my street. "See? In a few minutes, you'll find out what I wanted to tell you. God, would you stop being so violent?" As soon as we were in the house, I whirled on him with my arms crossed firmly over my chest.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at?" I questioned, taking on the stern tone of voice that my mother had used on me all those years ago. Nothing was worse than the time when I blundered into the road and almost got smeared into the road by a truck. She was pissed that time.

"Jeez, you sound like your Mom" Ronnie complained. "God, I only had to tell you one thing" Was he really going to act this stupid around me? He knew that I could be an impatient bitch most of the time.

"Stop trying to get out of telling me what you wanted to" I accused.

"Fine, you're right" he sighed. "Well, when I told you yesterday why I was upset because you done well in the exam, I missed some pretty vital information out." Oh, great, Ronnie's been lying to me now. What more can happen on this day?

"Ronnie, why would you do that?" I asked. "You know that we're best friends and that you can tell me anything."

"I know that" He agreed. "But there are some things that you just can't tell anyone, especially the person that it's about."

"Ronnie, what have I done?" I asked. When you're like me and keep screwing up friendships, you learn to just accept that when someone's angry or upset, it's usually your fault.

"Mon, you haven't done anything" He assured before his face turned bitter. "Well, except for being born" Well, I can safely say that I wasn't expecting that. My eyes went wide and I stuttered an apology.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Do you just like hate me or something?"

"No, I love you" He finally shouted. "Ever since you first came back into school and you'd changed so much. Your hair was long and brown. Your eyes were sharper and man you had curves to die for." I was too stunned to even comprehend what to say to this. Was Ronnie Joseph Radke really saying this to me?

"Are you being for real?" I questioned, not thinking about how horrible my tone sounded. Ronnie's face fell as he gave a tiny chuckle that sounded forced.

"Yeah, I am" He answered "This is why I wanted to tell you here, so you wouldn't run from me. You're obviously not happy that I told you, though" He made to leave just as I was able to move for the first time since he revealed what he did.

"Hey, don't you dare think you're entitled to leave after what you've just decided to tell me" I warned as I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the hallway. "That's a cowards way out."

"Well, what more do you want me to say?" He asked. "I've said what I had to say"

"This isn't a ploy to get me to stay in Nevada, is it?" I questioned. It sounded horrible and petty, but I didn't put it past Ronnie. If he really didn't want me to leave, it wouldn't surprise me if he pulled a stunt like this.

"No way, Monica" He shouted. "Do you honestly think I'm that much of a dick? I wouldn't dare make something up as meaningful as this to get you to stay away from your dream."

"Sorry, Ronnie, I just had to make sure" I defended as I took his hands in mine. "I didn't want to say anything about this until I knew that."

"Well, are you going to say anything about what I told you?" He asked as he shifted from foot to foot. "This is getting a little awkward."

"No, I don't have anything to say about it" I laughed. His face fell for the second time today and he gave a hopeless shake of his head.

"Fine, I've got to go now" He sighed, turning again to leave until I stopped him with a hand to his shoulder.

"I don't have anything to say to you because I've got something for you" I whispered as he turned around. I pushed up on my toes, so I could reach his lips with my own. He bent down a little to make it easier for me and kissed back with a force and passion that ran deeper than my own. The only thing I could smell was whatever hair product he had used this morning and the cologne he was wearing.

"Hmm, you're gorgeous" He finally mumbled into my lips before pulling away from me. "And you're an amazing kisser." A blush rose to my cheeks as I giggled.

"You're not too bad yourself" I complimented.

"I do actually have to go" Ronnie finally whispered as he stepped out of my arms. "I'll see you tomorrow, though." He planted one last kiss on my cheek before successfully getting out of the house.

Although I was ecstatic about what had just gone down, I couldn't help but feel regret linger around me. What the hell was I playing at? Starting something with Ronnie was just going to make it harder for me to leave him when we go our separate ways, but there was no way that I could sacrifice my dream for a relationship. God, I was leading him on. He didn't know that I would definitely choose to have a business. It's official: I'm a class A bitch.

**Ah, well I suppose it was a quicker update than last time ;) Thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter and please do keep the reviews coming. I'll try and get the next chapter up a little quicker, but exams are on, so I apologise if I don't.**


	5. Chapter 5

Why Scream, It's Over

**Finally managed to get round to actually writing another chapter of this. Hope everyone likes and reviews are very much welcome.**

**Lyrics: If you're 555, I'm 666. What's it like to be a heretic?**

ChapterFive

The next morning, I woke up to something I hadn't expected. Ronnie was sitting on the edge of my bed with Jeremy in his arms. Hell, my mom must have let him in. As much as I loved the idea of being with him, I was nervous as hell for the time when I would have to tell him that I would be leaving Nevada and everything that I had ever grown up with.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as soft as possible. "I thought we'd just meet at school."

"Um, It's Saturday, Mon" Ronnie reminded. "Jesus, are you alright" He moved from his seat at the edge of my bed and clambered in with me, all the while clutching Jeremy close to him. "Your mom wants you to babysit for her."

"Ah, man, again!" I asked, angry at the fact that she kept expecting me to do it. "I swear that woman never gives me a moment to rest."

"Come on, we'll do good looking after Jer" He sighed as he placed him in the cot that had now been placed in my room.

"Yeah, but we've just started to date and now we're stuck with looking after a baby" I sighed. "It's hardly very romantic."

"Well, we can always just put good use to the baby monitor" Ronnie suggested. "After all, that is what your mom bought it for."

"No, it won't work for Jer" I grumbled. "He's at that stage where if you leave him in a room on his own, he screams the house down."

"I can still kiss you, though" Ronnie laughed, pushing his lips onto my own. Although I had felt as though I was leading him on and cheating him, his kisses numbed me from telling him any of that. All I could do was take it and wish that I had enough energy to kiss him back. He kept on going as I wrapped my arms around him, my lips barely moving. He soon pulled away, smiling ever so gently into my eyes.

"Do you want to do something today as soon as my mom gets back and actually realises that Jeremy is her kid?" I asked, more than a little miffed at the stunt that she seemed to be pulling most days, but also wanting to grab any time that I had with Ronnie and cherish it. My days with him were limited and it seemed as though he was the only one who didn't realise that.

"Hey, man, be gentle with her" He warned. "She's been through a lot over the past few months and having a baby makes it harder for her. I'm sure she'll get her act together soon enough."

"You don't understand, Ronnie" I sighed. "We all go through some tough shit, but that doesn't give her a right to do what she's doing. She needs to take responsibility for her own children instead of making others do it and you don't know her like I do. She might say she's had a tough few months, but it's just the average that everyone goes through during their life. If we can handle it, she can."

"All the same, she's your mom and you should keep her close to you" He mumbled. "You never know when things like that can be snatched away from you" Of course. I had been so stupid as to not think about how insensitive everything I was saying was. Ronnie had had a harder life than all of us put together. He had been abandoned by his mother when he was only very young and his dad had to raise him even though he wasn't entirely sure on how to raise his own child. It was only a few months ago when Ronnie's mom tried to get back into contact with him and for a while, it seemed as though everything was going to turn out okay until she went away again after only a week without even a thought of saying goodbye to him. Ever since that had happened, he had been distant from everyone around him. He refused to talk about feelings. It was unbelievable that he actually managed to tell me how he felt yesterday.

I had been shoved in the same boat as he had been, but my fall seemed to be softened. My dad died when I was only seven. It was by far the hardest thing I had ever been through, but it really is true that kids managed to bounce back from anything. It was my mom who had turned out to be the real problem. She turned to alcohol and soon lost her job as a teacher. She had to work nights at the diner, so I was left with my granddad to look after me. It went pretty wrong when he was diagnosed with cancer when I was ten. He lasted four years and that was when I was thrust into the world. I did the shopping and the cooking whilst my mom desperately looked for a relationship. She thought that if she found someone, the responsibility and the stress would be halved. Oh, she was so wrong. It simply doubled. She got married to Alan and then divorced a year later and then the trail kept going. I was softened because the men that she brought home actually seemed to care. They brought me gifts, lifted the burden by cooking and helping me with any homework I was stuck with and then I had Ronnie's dad who was always inviting me to his to spend time with Ronnie. It was there that I got proper meals.

"Ronnie, I'm sorry" I sighed. "I didn't even think. You're right. She may anger me sometimes, but she's a saint compared to some of the people who have been in your life" I couldn't tell if my words would make him happy or if they would only piss him off. After all, I was insulting his family. He's one of those guys who hates his family, but will stick up for them and defend them until the very end of the world.

He soon smiled at me to show that no harm was done and wrapped his arm tightly around me, leaving a few kisses on my forehead before smoothing my hair down. The niggling feeling that this wouldn't last forever soon melted away as I allowed Ronnie's gentle touch drag me under until I felt as though my head was going to explode with thoughts of him.

"Hey, it's fine" He whispered, taking only a brief moment to check that the baby was alright. "I've managed without her practically all of my life. I know that she's a bitch and that I don't need her. As far as I'm concerned, she's not my mom and she never will be no matter how much she tries to put right what she did. She's taken it too far and she's unforgivable now." A silence fell over us as I processed everything he just said. Did he really feel that strongly about his mom? Every day I wish that I could bring my dad back. It's been years since he died, but I still want him to hold my hand and tuck me into bed at night. I'd missed out on that and it haunts me every day. Hell, I still wish that my mom's old husbands were still here. They treated me as though I was really their daughter. It bothers me that I don't have a male figure in my life. "I know that talking about this thing is hard for you. I almost forgot about your dad."

"Yeah, it's just been getting a little difficult to deal with at the minute." I sighed. "It's that time of year that he died and my mom's been falling into her old ways. That's probably why she's been making me look after Jeremy. She doesn't think that she can handle it. I shouldn't be so hard on her."

"Hey, it's okay for you to get angry about things, though" He assured. "You've been put in the exact same position as her, but the difference is that you're dealing with it ten times better than she is and that's what really matters. If you can do it, she should be able to do it as well" His words stuck with me. Why was this so hard for her if it wasn't for me? "I've got some things I need to tell you, Mon" His tone of voice implied that this wasn't going to be good for me to hear. It took everything in my strength to not simply turn around and get out of the room.

"Sure, what is it?" I questioned, although I already had a pretty good idea as to what was so important.

"Well, it's a little hard to explain" He began. "It's an amazing thing, but it can also be seen as a bad thing because of what it might do" Ah, this was classic Ronnie behaviour. When he wanted to spare someone's feelings, he would try to be tactful and clever about it. He didn't want to just blurt it out. He wanted to soften the blow.

"Ronnie, what the hell are you even going on about?" I laughed, trying my best to make the situation seem more light-hearted. I didn't like it when everyone was so uptight about something. "God, you're making me want another cigarette and I've been doing so well. If you have something to say, just spit it out before I start coming up with problems that are probably way worse than what you actually want to do."

"Oh trust me, this is probably the worst that you could come up with" He warned. My heart started to race and my anger began to rise. Was he really saying this to me? We'd been going out for a day and he had already presented us with a problem for our relationship. Why did things like this always happen to me?

"Okay, Ronnie, you're actually starting to scare me now" I whispered. "Just tell me"

"Fine, Escape the Fate is making it." He shouted. "We're about to go on tour around America and then it's going to get pretty busy after that. That means that I'm not going to be in Nevada and you are. We won't be able to see each other." It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. We were both destined to go different ways. The problem was that I had always thought that the garage band wouldn't make it this quickly. I had always thought that it would be Ronnie who was on the receiving end and now that the tables had been turned, I felt like utter shit. There was nothing I could really do to stop him. If he wanted to go, it was his choice and he had made it abundantly clear that the band was his main focus in life. The band was what mattered the most to him and I was just the icing on top of the cake. That's how I had always felt about him, but now I'm really realising how much that really hurts and how badly that's treating someone. The fact of the matter is, my Ronnie that I had known all of my life was rapidly slipping out of reach and there was nothing that I could do to bring him back to me.

**Ah, I feel horrible. I always make my chapters depressing. Well, aside from that, I hope everyone enjoys this and please review! Oh, and there'll probably only be a few more chapters left of this story.**


	6. Chapter 6

Why Scream, It's Over

**Okay, so this is the second last chapter. I know, another short lived story. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this instalment and please review!**

**Lyrics: When there's enough love in that heart to burst like a fucking supernova**

Chapter Six

"Please, say something" Ronnie pleaded, taking my hands in his. "Mon, I'm sorry" My anger took over at that point. How could he even say he was sorry with a straight face? There was no way he could be sorry. No way at all. He had known ever since he was a young teenager that he was going to be in a band and he knew that that meant getting out of Nevada. My anger soon diminished, remembering that I had the exact same intention as he did.

I had the dream of getting out of this godforsaken state. In the end, we had both led each other on and really we didn't care as much as we probably should. At the end of the day, the only thing that I really cared about was starting my own business and getting out of here. As bitchy as it sounds, it's true.

"I need a cigarette" I finally sighed, instinctively reaching into my pocket, forgetting that I had given up. My lifeline was gone. His hands gripped my wrists, squeezing harder than I would have liked.

"Don't you fucking dare" He hissed, probably growing tired of my melodramatic stunts and claims. "You're never going to smoke again, okay?"

"Fine, I won't smoke" I grumbled, not happy that I wouldn't have that sweet cancer stick between my lips. "You're lucky that I have such strong willpower" A malevolent of silence passed as Ronnie buried his head into his hands.

"I'm so sorry, Mon" He whispered, his voice cracking. My heart went out to him. Maybe he did care more than he should. Well, there's always one in a relationship who cares more than the other.

"Don't be sorry" I assured, my voice dripping with guilt for not loving him properly. "This is your dream. You need to go out and live it. There isn't a place for us in each other's lives" My words hurt even more. I didn't want to live a life without Ronnie, but if I had to, I would. Without question.

"Man, I never knew that doing this would be so hard" He muttered, pulling me down to lie next to him. His arms encircled my waist. "What about in the future?" He questioned. I bit my lip to stop myself from saying the bitter answer. I wanted to leave Nevada, my past…and everything in it. After minutes of silence had passed, I could feel Ronnie grow restless and agitated with my inability to answer his simple question. "I don't want to push, but what about us?"

"I don't know" I exclaimed. "Everything's still the same with me. I still need this break to sort out my life" I just had to try my best to ignore the hurt in his eyes. These things needed to be said.

"Can I ask you a questioned?" He asked. "When you look at me, what do you see? Am I just some guy or am I _it_? Am I the love of your life."

"How am I supposed to know that?" I asked, too scared to tell him that he could never be the love of my life.

"I do" He muttered. "Because that's what you are to me" More moments of silence passed and his eyes fell on a notepad that lay on my desk. "Jesus, you're still writing these stupid business ideas?" What was wrong with him today?

"If you didn't want me to-" I began, but only to be cut off.

"What was I supposed to say, Monica?" He asked. "If you love me, don't do it. Give up all your hopes and dreams" His smile soon turned bitter. "What? Does that not sound like the Ronnie you grew up with?"

"Look, I don't want to tell you what to do" I explained, praying this argument would be over soon. "If that's what you want to hear."

"Yeah, that's what I want to hear" He said sarcastically. "When I ask my girlfriend if she thinks we'll have a future together, that's exactly what I want to hear" It didn't seem as though there was anything that I could say that would make him feel any better right now. It took everything in me to stick this one out. I wanted to end on good terms.

"If you really don't blame me for having dreams, why can't we say goodbye on good terms. What more is there to say?" I rambled, my voice raising more with every word I spat at Ronnie. "I know why you're doing what you are."

"Then why are you pushing me away" He shouted, throwing my business planning to the floor.

"Because I wish it didn't have to be this way" I screamed. "Sometimes I think my life would be easier if I had never met you because nothing would be holding me back. What? Is that not the answer you were looking for because that's what you asked me."

"Maybe I should just leave" Ronnie threatened. "You've made it pretty clear that you don't want me" And my mom chose that moment of all times to walk in.

"What's going on here" She asked, her mouth set in a firm line. Well, she didn't want anyone hurting her little girl. Taking Jeremy in my arms, I glared hard at her and handed him to her.

"Mom, this is my business. Just leave it alone" I ordered. "And stop saddling me with Jeremy. He's not my kid" I didn't mean to be harsh to her, but she had to understand that I wasn't going to be here all the time for her to lean on.

"Look, I don't know what's going on here, but I think it would be best for you to just leave, Ronnie" She sighed, her arms crossing firmly over her chest, but I knew then that Ronnie had no intention of leaving and, to be honest, I didn't want him to.

"Would you please just go away, so we can talk about this properly" I shouted. Her eyes went wide at my sudden outburst. I'd said a lot of horrible things to her during my time on this planet, but I had never once raised my voice to her. She gave a brief nod and scurried away with Jeremy wrapped tightly in her arms and I couldn't help but feel a little bad for what I had done.

"What are we even doing?" Ronnie finally sighed once my bedroom door had been closed. To be honest, I'd been asking myself that question ever since the argument had started. Seeing him when he wasn't angry made me want to wrap my arms around him and tell him how much I love him and how much I was going to miss him, but I knew that this wasn't entirely over.

"I don't know" I whispered, welcoming his touch as he returned to the bed, pulling me ever closer to him, his breath making my hair flutter only slightly. It was such a bittersweet moment.

"What are we going to do?" He asked. My heart raced for a moment as I thought about what words to use to ensure that this didn't go straight back to square one. There was no way we would end on good terms if we went through that again.

"I don't really think there's much to do" I answered, fighting the urge to tell him that I'd give up everything to be with him. I knew it wasn't love, though. It was more of a friendship thing. If I left Ronnie, I would lose my other half. He was the one that loved me and it broke my heart to be unable to return those feelings. He really would believe all my lies if I just pretended that I loved him.

"So, this is it then?" He questioned. Hearing him say it made it all feel just that little bit realer. A few weeks ago, I would never have believed that I would be saying goodbye to Ronnie for good. "Are we just not going to see each other again?"

"I don't know, Ronnie" I answered, making sure that I didn't feed him anymore lies. I couldn't get his hopes up now. "It'll be great if we do, but I don't think we should promise each other anything. It just wouldn't be right or fair."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right" He agreed, still pulling me closer to him. It hit me then that I was going to be saying goodbye to everyone. Practically my only friends were the ones in that band. Who was going to pick me up after exams? Who was going to have small talk with me at lunch? Who was going to act up in class with me? And who was going to kiss me at night and hold me?

"When do you go?" I asked, hoping I would have long enough to say goodbye to everyone properly, although there wouldn't be enough time in the world to explain to them how much I loved them.

"There's a flight tomorrow, so we can start tour preparations and then record a few demos." He answered. "It's going to be hectic tomorrow. I should be at home packing, but I couldn't leave you without telling you how much I loved you."

"I'll come to the airport with you" I added, thinking it was only fitting. "You'll just have to be careful in case I deem it appropriate to jump on the plane with you." The joke was bad, but it had an element of truth hidden in it.

"That wouldn't be so bad" Ronnie laughed, his calloused fingers tracing the swirls on the palms of my hands. "Come with me." His offer sounded appealing. I wanted to go so badly. I couldn't face the thought of leaving those guys, but I knew it wouldn't be right. If I went with them, I would be putting myself in a world where I wasn't happy and I didn't want to live my life like that.

"I can't" I whispered before adding hastily to keep him happy, "I want to. I really do, but I have my own things that I need to get on with." The silence invaded them again, leading me to think that he had probably grown made again, but the way his hands still treated me with tender care made me think otherwise.

"I know you can't" He agreed. "It was still worth a try."

"So, you're leaving tomorrow?" I questioned, needing anything to fill the silence that left me feeling awkward. I didn't want my last few hours with Ronnie to be awkward. I wanted them to be like old times. It was my final dedication to him. "Are you going straight away?"

"The flights at ten in the morning, so I'll be leaving pretty early" He answered, sounding as though he hated that fact as much as I did. Sitting up, I pressed a kiss to his lips and chuckled at the way his hands immediately rested on my hips, bringing himself up to kiss with more force, but I wouldn't let him.

"Then we need to make this night count" And his lips found mine again.

**Damn, I swear this is like the first story I've written where everything's all depressing. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and just want to remind everyone reading this that the next chapter will indeed be the final one. Please leave a review and I'll try to be quicker with the next update. This one did take quite a while for which I apologise.**


	7. Chapter 7

Why Scream, It's Over

**Ah, well it's the end. I hope everyone has enjoyed this story and I apologise for this chapter. Agh, you'll understand when you read it. Please review! Hey, for once the lyrics actually relate to the chapter.**

**Lyrics: So close, our perfect start. So undeniable, fallen apart**

Chapter Seven

"If you want to say goodbye to Ronnie, you're going to have to get your ass out of bed" My mom scolded as she sat on the end of my bed and shook me to make me move. I didn't want to go see Ronnie. If I went to the airport with him, I'd cry and that's not something I'm comfortable with doing.

"I'm not going" I grumbled, my voice muffled as my face was pressed into a pillow in my attempt to ignore the world. "I can't be bothered with it." Okay, that was a lie. I just didn't want to face Ronnie. It'd be too sad.

"Oh, because I actually believe that" She scoffed, already pulling off the blankets on my bed in an effort to wake me up properly. God, she hadn't done that since I was thirteen. "That's a coward's way out." Oh, she's a fine one to talk. "Look, I know it's hard for you to say goodbye, but I guarantee that you'll kick yourself for it later. Her voice took on a softer tone and her words actually helped me for the first time in years. I felt as though I had my Mom back.

"It's too late to go." I sighed, not really caring if it was or not. "I've missed my chance"

"If I know Ronnie, he'll be sitting outside the airport for as long as possible" She laughed. "Get ready and meet me in the car." She didn't even give me a choice! Jesus, maybe having a mom is harder than I thought it would be.

…

"Would you hurry up" My mom shouted out the window of the car as I locked the front door. "God, you're going to miss them if you keep messing around like that."

"God, I was trying to lock the door" I muttered once I was in the car and my mom started driving. The ride to the airport was silent, both of us so shocked at how the other was acting. Never in a million years would I believe that my mom would actually start acting like a mom again and she never thought that I would give up on Ronnie. "How long will it take to get there?" I finally asked.

"Scared you might miss him?" She questioned. It took everything in my strength to not scream at her. "You'll get there in time."

…

When she pulled into the airport, I found myself stuck to my chair. I couldn't go out there. There was no way I could face him. Any normal person would be sprinting out of here to get to him, but I was unable to.

"What are you doing?" My mom asked, worry showing in her voice. She was just as scared as I was about missing Ronnie.

"I don't think I can do this, Mom" I finally sighed, burying my head deep into my hands.

"Oh, yes you can" She scoffed. "After what you guys got up to last night, you owe it to each other. I stared at her in disbelief. This was not the kind of conversation that I wanted to be having with my Mom. It's not the kind of conversation I wanted to be having with anyone other than Ronnie.

"Mom!" I squeaked. "Fine, I'll go, but only to get away from you" Before she had a chance to say anything else on the matter, I slipped out of the car and hurried into the doors of the airport. I was limited to how far I could get through here. I just had to hope that he hadn't gone through departures yet.

As soon as I stepped through the doors, my eyes went on a wild search for Ronnie. It was virtually impossible to see him through this sea of people. Surely it couldn't be that hard to spot him if Robert was going to be there. His hair was too big. Knowing my luck I would have just missed him.

After minutes of searching for him, I accepted the fact that I had probably missed him and made my way to the exit before something caught my eye. It couldn't be. Oh, but it was.

"Ronnie!" I screamed, without even thinking about what I was going to say. "Ronnie, wait up" I watched him pause, look around as though he was searching for where the voice came from and then his eyes fell on me and he hurried back down the stairs. As soon as he met up to me, he wrapped his arms tightly around me.

"God damn you!" He hissed in my ear, pressing kiss after kiss to my cheeks, lips and forehead. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't going to show. God, you're so fucking stupid sometimes."

His insults didn't bother me. I was just too happy with being held in his arms.

"I'm sorry" I mumbled into his jacket. "I wasn't going to show. I just didn't know how to say goodbye to you, but then my mom persuaded me and I thought you'd already left and…" My rambling was cut to a stop when he pushed his lips up against mine. Well, it was a way of being silenced that I quite enjoyed.

"Man, I'm going to miss you" He whispered, simply holding me and that's all I could ever need at that moment in time. "I love you, Mon."

"I love you too, Ronnie" I sighed, trying to ignore the crack in my voice.

"Hey, can you guys hurry up?" Someone asked. "We do have a plane to catch" Ah, the ever so eloquent Max. I turned to him, almost feeling as though I was going to cry at the prospect of leaving the band. How could I leave Max? We had matching tattoos. Didn't that count for anything?

"Max, I'm going to miss you" I grumbled, wrapping my arms around his neck after laying a peck on his cheek. My terror twin was going to be gone soon. "Promise me that you'll still wreak havoc."

"Of course I will" He promised. "I wouldn't be me if I wasn't an absolute dick." Okay, the tears were starting to spill. How was I supposed to live my life normally if these guys weren't in my life?

"Aw, come here, Monica" Monte laughed, giving me one of his brotherly hugs that I was convinced that I lived for. "We'll still see each other." I nodded at him in the affirmative even though I strongly disagreed that that was ever going to happen. We were going our separate ways and something told me that we weren't going to find the time for each other.

"'ll see you later, Monica" Robert finally said awkwardly. We had never really grown close with each other, but we were still friends. He just wasn't very good at expressing his feelings.

"We'll go up to departures and give you guys a moment alone" Max finally sighed. "We'll see you there, Ronnie." As soon as they left, my palms began to sweat. Although I knew that this was going to happen one day, I had never imagined it would be anything like this.

"Hey, why are you crying?" Ronnie asked. I hadn't noticed how bad it had gotten until he wiped at my face and his hands turned black. Damn, I knew I should have worn waterproof mascara.

"I don't want to leave you" I muttered, shocked to see that he had tears brimming over his eyes. After eighteen years of friendship, it'd be stupid to not cry.

"I don't want to leave you either" He agreed. "But it's for the best and I'll make sure that we still see each other in the future" I still couldn't believe those words.

"You should go catch your plane" I sighed, stepping out of his arms, but he pushed his lips against mine again. As soon as he pulled away, he pulled his bag over his shoulder and gave me a wide smile. "Goodbye, Ronnie."

"Goodbye, Monica" He called, walking up the stairs that led to departures and I simply walked away. My mom was still sitting in the car, biting at her lip in worry over me. I avoided eye contact with her as I sat back in the car.

"Are you okay?" She asked, resting her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm fine" I lied before deciding that we couldn't rebuild our relationship if I didn't tell her what was on my mind. "No, I'm not. It's taking everything in my strength to keep myself sitting in the seat. I want to go with him, Mom."

"You'd hate yourself if you did that" She reminded. "You've got your life and he has his. Don't mix the two together if you don't think it's right." God, who would have thought that my Mom would be wise?

"I suppose you're right" I sighed. "Can we just go home now?" She gave a firm not and a reassuring smile before putting the car back in gear and setting off. It felt weird to be going back home in a place where Ronnie wouldn't be. As I watched the airport get smaller and smaller until it was only a tiny dot, I let myself cry more, but I didn't bother to hide it from my Mom. "Do you think that could be his plane?" I asked her as I pointed to one that had just taken off. She gave me a knowing stare and an eye roll, reminding myself very much of me.

"Mon-"She began, but I cut her off.

"Don't call me 'Mon'" I snapped. That was Ronnie's nickname for me.

"Sorry, honey" She said, her voice soft. "Look, you can't go through your life wondering if it's him. He's gone now and as soon as you come to terms with it, the better."

"Fair point" I muttered, bitterly, already regretting letting him go, but his words still burned into my head. _It's for the best._

**Ah, it's the first sad ending I've ever written, so I apologise if it was as shit as it seemed to me. Anyway, I hope you got some form of enjoyment out of that and thank you to anyone who has read this!**


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